Weather could potentially be a factor on Sunday afternoon when the Denver Broncos travel to Foxboro to take on the New England Patriots. Forecasters are calling for chilly temperatures with wind and possibly some rain, which could work to the Patriots’ advantage given Peyton Manning’s history with cold weather.
Bill Belichick insists he isn’t even giving it a thought.
When speaking to reporters on Friday, Belichick offered some of his trademark wise cracks when asked about the forecast for Sunday.
“When you play in New England, you’ve got to be ready for everything. Based on the forecasts we’ve gotten so far this year, none of them were very close to what the game conditions were. There was a 100 percent chance of rain last week, and the only water I saw was on the Gatorade table,” Belichick said, per Michael Whitmer of the Boston Globe. “It is what it is. We’ve got to be ready for whatever it is.”
When the Patriots hosted the New York Jets in Week 7, forecasters were calling for heavy downpours throughout the game. It rained during the day in Foxboro, but rain was not a factor when the two teams took the field.
“My experience of going with the forecast, in this area, two days before the game, I’d bet a lot that they’re wrong, just based on history, because they’re almost always wrong,” Belichick said. “An hour before the game? Maybe, you might have something to work with there. But if you start game planning for what the weather is going to be and you game plan wrong, you’ve wasted a lot of time.”
There’s an old expression people from New England like to use — “If you don’t like the weather here, just stay an hour.”
But regardless of what Belichick says, we live in an era where every minuscule detail is analyzed.
Peyton Manning career in sub-40-degree games: 8-11, 82.1 rating. In postseason, 0-4, 57.3 rating (4 TD, 9 int).
— Tony Massarotti (@TonyMassarotti) October 31, 2014
The Broncos don’t exactly play in a warm climate. Don’t expect anyone to be intimidated if they can see their breath at kickoff.
